Vintage Matters
Read MoreToothsome, But Not Photogenic
Red harvest started yesterday. The clusters were not pristine. The grapes were a bit gnarly looking. The vines look somewhat bedraggled. The crop is small. But the flavors, ripeness and concentration are remarkable.
Read MoreHarvest Update: Finishing Whites, Waiting for Reds
It's Time for the Winegrower's Selection
Read MoreThe Intuitive Vintage
Picking decisions have been unpredictable this vintage. There have been too many uncertain and unusual variables. We experienced a hot, wet, tropical early summer. Then came drought and cool nights. Earlier this week 3” of rain fell in 24 hours. The yields are about half of typical. This may be our smallest harvest since 1987. Spotted Lanternfly continues to menace. No playbooks for 2025. Intuition rules.
Read MoreStir Crazy
Every vintage has a personality that impacts the wines. But for those of us that harvest, crush and ferment there is also a distinct rhythm for each season. This year is no exception. Spring and mid-summer were wet, humid and hot making for extra vine work under less than ideal conditions. Once ripening began conditions have been near idea with dry sunny days, low humidity, and cool nights. Ripening has been slow which is making for some concentrated grapes with very high-quality acidity.
Read MoreNuts
Harvest is slow to start this year. One more week before the Sauvignon Blanc is ready to pick. This gives us some bonus time to work on equipment and tweak the vineyard. Waiting also gives us time to do nothing. This beautiful weather has allowed for some quality porch time allowing me to observe and to think about nothing.
Read MoreLate Harvest?
It looks like it will be a late start to vintage 2025. Veraison (color change) in red wine grapes was only slightly later than average, but yesterday we ran our first lab tests on Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
Read MoreVéraison
Véraison is one of the many French words adopted by English speaking winegrowers. It refers to the change of color in red grapes and the beginning of the all-important ripening stage. This is the only time that we can see ripeness.
Read MoreHot and Humid
Hot and humid with a chance of thunderstorms.
Hot and humid with a chance of thunderstorms.
Hot and humid with a chance of thunderstorms.
Read MoreWhiplash: From Drought to Monsoon
Seminar | A Sense of Place: Wines from around the United States
Cellar Tastings are Back
Read MoreHeat Wave
Back in the days before air conditioning much of Washington DC escaped the heat and temporarily settled here in these mountains. Families would stay the entire summer at boarding houses or any place that had an extra room or two. The men (this was back in the day) would come and go by train each weekend.
Read MoreVineyard Update
This is a very active week in the vines. Next week’s ominous forecast of dangerously high temperatures means that vineyard work will be limited to only the cooler mornings. We’re trying to get ahead of the game this week. And we are. Petit Manseng is the last block remaining for fruit zone aeration. It will be done this week. Then all hands will continue to tie and shoot position.
Read MoreVintage 2025: Back to Normal?
In the last 30 days we have received 8” of rain. Typically we would expect about 3”. For most growing seasons this would be cause for concern, but after two drought years we’ll take anything we can get.
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